Russ PittsHow does a small shop specializing in console games transform itself into a top-tier juggernaut PC developer? Russ Pitts looks at the rise of Blizzard Entertainment, and how their unique organization allowed them to create better games.
Issue 48 - Secret Sauce: The Rise of Blizzard
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
- Start date
Original Comment by: phong
Ur... Did Russ come from an alternate universe where StarCraft didn't exist?
The article was great but I feel unfulfilled some how...
Ur... Did Russ come from an alternate universe where StarCraft didn't exist?
The article was great but I feel unfulfilled some how...
Original Comment by: Iain
http://www.hostileterritory.org
Great article. But as previously mentioned...where's StarCraft?!?
http://www.hostileterritory.org
Great article. But as previously mentioned...where's StarCraft?!?
Thought I should mention that the article has been editied to fix a little ambiguity in reference to the Warcraft 1 & 2 / Diablo timeline. Nothing big, but for the curious, near the bottom of page six, we changed the word "sequel" to "expansion."
Also, for all you StarCraft fans, the article does not specifically mention StarCraft because the game is not relevant to the "creation" of Blizzard as a publishing powerhouse, nor of Battle.net as precursor to Blizzard's online mega-hit, World of Warcraft. The game and its development also fall outside of the timeline of much of the story I?ve attempted to tell.
StarCraft did sell many copies and help solidify Blizzard?s position as market-leading innovator of creative, online games, but it was not (in the opinion of this writer) the proverbial goose that laid the golden egg, so to speak. You may, as always, feel free to disagree. That is what the internet is here for, after all.
If it makes you feel any better, however, I'll go on record here as saying that StarCraft is a fabulous game, and that I want to bear its children.
Also, for all you StarCraft fans, the article does not specifically mention StarCraft because the game is not relevant to the "creation" of Blizzard as a publishing powerhouse, nor of Battle.net as precursor to Blizzard's online mega-hit, World of Warcraft. The game and its development also fall outside of the timeline of much of the story I?ve attempted to tell.
StarCraft did sell many copies and help solidify Blizzard?s position as market-leading innovator of creative, online games, but it was not (in the opinion of this writer) the proverbial goose that laid the golden egg, so to speak. You may, as always, feel free to disagree. That is what the internet is here for, after all.
If it makes you feel any better, however, I'll go on record here as saying that StarCraft is a fabulous game, and that I want to bear its children.
Original Comment by: Patrick
http://www.kingludic.blogspot.com
The thing about StarCraft that you could have mentioned as a way to strengthen and elucidate the "secret sauce" idea is that what made Blizzard great originally was a corporate culture geared toward QA. QA from everyone, not just the testers specifically. Starcraft was the pinnacle of that, a game so well balanced it could out stand a pin hovering on a dime. The strike teams part alluded to this aspect of the company, but you could have hit it home with Starcraft.
All in all though, a good article.
http://www.kingludic.blogspot.com
The thing about StarCraft that you could have mentioned as a way to strengthen and elucidate the "secret sauce" idea is that what made Blizzard great originally was a corporate culture geared toward QA. QA from everyone, not just the testers specifically. Starcraft was the pinnacle of that, a game so well balanced it could out stand a pin hovering on a dime. The strike teams part alluded to this aspect of the company, but you could have hit it home with Starcraft.
All in all though, a good article.
Original Comment by: Andrea Appel
What can I say. I fell in love with Blizzard with Warcraft II (the previous release didn't make it to this country), and right now I'm married to it with WoW.... I'd love to work there and be part of any team, even swapping floors!!!
Good article!
What can I say. I fell in love with Blizzard with Warcraft II (the previous release didn't make it to this country), and right now I'm married to it with WoW.... I'd love to work there and be part of any team, even swapping floors!!!
Good article!
Original Comment by: David Beoulve
http://www.GamersGoneBad.com
After all the lead-up to the Secret Sauce, I was sorely disappointed that little time was devoted to illucidating it. You can see, by looking back at the article, that the secret sauce is the way Blizzard does it's business within itself, as well as the creative people it has. But the ending leaves the article feeling as though "I researched the mystery of the Secret Sauce, and ended with a mystery."
That's not as informative sounding as the article actually was, if the reader just pauses to think about what was covered, but not written.
That authorization code you use on this thing is insanely difficult to read. the lines actually cross out bits of the letters YOU NEED TO READ. This is my 4th reload of this page to cycle the code, trying to make a post. http://www.useit.com/alertbox
http://www.GamersGoneBad.com
After all the lead-up to the Secret Sauce, I was sorely disappointed that little time was devoted to illucidating it. You can see, by looking back at the article, that the secret sauce is the way Blizzard does it's business within itself, as well as the creative people it has. But the ending leaves the article feeling as though "I researched the mystery of the Secret Sauce, and ended with a mystery."
That's not as informative sounding as the article actually was, if the reader just pauses to think about what was covered, but not written.
That authorization code you use on this thing is insanely difficult to read. the lines actually cross out bits of the letters YOU NEED TO READ. This is my 4th reload of this page to cycle the code, trying to make a post. http://www.useit.com/alertbox
Original Comment by: Mike
Another voice lamenting the complete lack of StarCraft coverage in the article. How can you ignore Blizzard's best RTS game?
Another voice lamenting the complete lack of StarCraft coverage in the article. How can you ignore Blizzard's best RTS game?
Original Comment by: Carter
http://www.panhandlr.com
Starcraft is the perfect RTS, and it's still the choice of that genre's hardcore.
But yeah, you were right not to talk about it, nor go into Diablo II in any detail other than it was Bliz's first true online game. Crappy start -> Warcraft -> Diablo -> Battle.net -> first company to really "get" online gaming -> small team philosophy -> WOW Grand-Slam -> allude to the mysterious X factor so the reader doesn't get the impression that this is an article on how to shake n' bake your own Blizzard style devhouse.
Good article. Ignore anyone who says it should have covered something it didn't. If the only criticism you're hearing about your writing is what it lacks rather than what it has, you've done well.
http://www.panhandlr.com
Starcraft is the perfect RTS, and it's still the choice of that genre's hardcore.
But yeah, you were right not to talk about it, nor go into Diablo II in any detail other than it was Bliz's first true online game. Crappy start -> Warcraft -> Diablo -> Battle.net -> first company to really "get" online gaming -> small team philosophy -> WOW Grand-Slam -> allude to the mysterious X factor so the reader doesn't get the impression that this is an article on how to shake n' bake your own Blizzard style devhouse.
Good article. Ignore anyone who says it should have covered something it didn't. If the only criticism you're hearing about your writing is what it lacks rather than what it has, you've done well.
Original Comment by: Jay
http://www.mysanantonio.com
So, what's the secret sauce?
The article tap dances around it throughout but never actually says it. One answer (among many): Incremental development.
I've been in awe of Blizzard's tactics since they released WoW. Creating such a game requires an incredible amount of knowledge, experience and hard work. However, unlike most companies, they haven't done anything that could be considered a huge leap ahead of what they had done in the past. WoW was developed incrementally.
Looking back on Warcraft, there wasn't much to it. It was just a simple, mission-based RTS. WC2 was considerable better, adding both history and features to what already existed. Diablo gave them experience in the RPG genre and propelled that knowledge with the ground-breaking (and addictive as Hell) Diablo 2. Then, they started showing that they were really up to something by upgrading the Warcraft series with excellent story telling, a rich 3D world, yet more history, features and (surprise!) RPG elements, all the while developing a strong multi-player background.
Along comes WoW. Keeping in mind the history of the company, is it any surprise that it is such a great hit? Blizzard simply stayed the course and that, IMO, is "the secret sauce".
http://www.mysanantonio.com
So, what's the secret sauce?
The article tap dances around it throughout but never actually says it. One answer (among many): Incremental development.
I've been in awe of Blizzard's tactics since they released WoW. Creating such a game requires an incredible amount of knowledge, experience and hard work. However, unlike most companies, they haven't done anything that could be considered a huge leap ahead of what they had done in the past. WoW was developed incrementally.
Looking back on Warcraft, there wasn't much to it. It was just a simple, mission-based RTS. WC2 was considerable better, adding both history and features to what already existed. Diablo gave them experience in the RPG genre and propelled that knowledge with the ground-breaking (and addictive as Hell) Diablo 2. Then, they started showing that they were really up to something by upgrading the Warcraft series with excellent story telling, a rich 3D world, yet more history, features and (surprise!) RPG elements, all the while developing a strong multi-player background.
Along comes WoW. Keeping in mind the history of the company, is it any surprise that it is such a great hit? Blizzard simply stayed the course and that, IMO, is "the secret sauce".
Original Comment by: Jim Antoniou
http://www.serverminds.com
I'm 36, married, with two kids. The last Blizzard game I played was Diablo. Man, how old school am I? Though I scan the boxes occasionally at Target, I've never played WoW and don't care to. My little brother, on the other hand, is addicted to Warcrack. Clearly Blizzard knows its target audience.
Though I rarely have the time or interest to play games any more, I admire Blizzard greatly and this is a great backgrounder. Personally I'm just grateful there's someone OTHER than the 800# gorilla EA out there producing titles.
http://www.serverminds.com
I'm 36, married, with two kids. The last Blizzard game I played was Diablo. Man, how old school am I? Though I scan the boxes occasionally at Target, I've never played WoW and don't care to. My little brother, on the other hand, is addicted to Warcrack. Clearly Blizzard knows its target audience.
Though I rarely have the time or interest to play games any more, I admire Blizzard greatly and this is a great backgrounder. Personally I'm just grateful there's someone OTHER than the 800# gorilla EA out there producing titles.
Original Comment by: Steve
How does a small shop specializing in console games transform itself into a top-tier juggernaut PC developer? Russ Pitts looks at the rise of Blizzard Entertainment, and conveniently overlooks how being bought by educational software company Davidson provides Blizzard the financial stability to do what it does best.
No dis to Blizzard, as there?s probably not a smarter group of gamers developing games of this caliber and quality with any kind of real, consistent success. And considering they?ve missed a lot of deadlines on their products, including the crucial holiday season in the past, they?ve not only succeeded but thrived because they?re ensuring quality instead of timeliness.
And that?s why unlike StarCraft not being relevant to the story because it was not a part of their rise and success, being backed by bigger pockets is absolutely relevant. The fact that they didn?t have to do desperate things because they were financially stable allowed them to focus on great games by great gamers for gamers, and that?s a huge oversight for this article.
r
Now the fact that the success of this group is now bankrolling whatever is left of Vivendi Games is a different story.
How does a small shop specializing in console games transform itself into a top-tier juggernaut PC developer? Russ Pitts looks at the rise of Blizzard Entertainment, and conveniently overlooks how being bought by educational software company Davidson provides Blizzard the financial stability to do what it does best.
No dis to Blizzard, as there?s probably not a smarter group of gamers developing games of this caliber and quality with any kind of real, consistent success. And considering they?ve missed a lot of deadlines on their products, including the crucial holiday season in the past, they?ve not only succeeded but thrived because they?re ensuring quality instead of timeliness.
And that?s why unlike StarCraft not being relevant to the story because it was not a part of their rise and success, being backed by bigger pockets is absolutely relevant. The fact that they didn?t have to do desperate things because they were financially stable allowed them to focus on great games by great gamers for gamers, and that?s a huge oversight for this article.
r
Now the fact that the success of this group is now bankrolling whatever is left of Vivendi Games is a different story.
Original Comment by: James Lopez
http://www.starcraft.com
Good article, it would have been a GREAT article if you'd covered StarCraft which was a HUGE game by any standards of success. There are TV channels in South Korea that TO THIS DAY cover tournaments of it.
http://www.starcraft.com
Good article, it would have been a GREAT article if you'd covered StarCraft which was a HUGE game by any standards of success. There are TV channels in South Korea that TO THIS DAY cover tournaments of it.
Original Comment by: Chad
I feel that you never actually explored how their organization was able to accomplish this, instead it seems you summarized their rize to the the top. Not exactly what I expected.
I feel that you never actually explored how their organization was able to accomplish this, instead it seems you summarized their rize to the the top. Not exactly what I expected.
Original Comment by: Arnold
The "secret" is that if it's not broke, don't fix it.
Warcraft -> Warcraft II -> Warcraft III (And expansions)
Starcraft (And expansions)
Diablo -> Diablo II (and again... expansions)
Only 3 franchises here. Blizzard doesn't really come up with anything innovative. They just latch on to a decent idea and milk it for what it's worth. Even WoW wasn't terribly innovative - Blizzard just expanded on an old idea (MMOs) that seemed to catch, largely due to the success of its previous series. Any other company could have done it, had they fed the RTS market with some good competition. No one did.
The "secret" is that if it's not broke, don't fix it.
Warcraft -> Warcraft II -> Warcraft III (And expansions)
Starcraft (And expansions)
Diablo -> Diablo II (and again... expansions)
Only 3 franchises here. Blizzard doesn't really come up with anything innovative. They just latch on to a decent idea and milk it for what it's worth. Even WoW wasn't terribly innovative - Blizzard just expanded on an old idea (MMOs) that seemed to catch, largely due to the success of its previous series. Any other company could have done it, had they fed the RTS market with some good competition. No one did.
Original Comment by: Seth King
http://jerdking.blogspot.com/
I start in the Blizzard time line with WCII, then on from there. The absence of Starcraft is very important in the progression in which Blizzard took to WoW. WCII was grat but with StarCraft you have the balance to three race and more importantly is the Story line that moves though all the race as one large painting. The was a jump, how big is a different issue, but it setup the great story telling in WCIII. WoW is a pure expansion of WCIII in story but is brought to life with a moving and changing World of other player and added content. I think that Starcraft is the Great RTS ever and I wish that there would be a SCII to build a more detaile picture of that Universe so that one day we might have Universe of Starcraft. I can dream can't I. Without Starcraft equals and inferior WCIII equals and infereior WoW or none at all.
http://jerdking.blogspot.com/
I start in the Blizzard time line with WCII, then on from there. The absence of Starcraft is very important in the progression in which Blizzard took to WoW. WCII was grat but with StarCraft you have the balance to three race and more importantly is the Story line that moves though all the race as one large painting. The was a jump, how big is a different issue, but it setup the great story telling in WCIII. WoW is a pure expansion of WCIII in story but is brought to life with a moving and changing World of other player and added content. I think that Starcraft is the Great RTS ever and I wish that there would be a SCII to build a more detaile picture of that Universe so that one day we might have Universe of Starcraft. I can dream can't I. Without Starcraft equals and inferior WCIII equals and infereior WoW or none at all.
Original Comment by: Kevin Rhoads
I feel that there is another inspiration that was left untouched in the article that has to be addressed. Blizzard didn't invent alot of the content that they ended up making their millions. Sure, its easy to say their games were inspired by JRR but a clearer connection can be made to other intellectual property that has sparked a debate to this day...Games Workshop. Many would say that each company stole from the other, but the fact remains Games Workshop was the ones who created the Zerg, and the orcs (or orks) in their goofy simpleton form. Its clear to me as a gamer, that Blizzard simply took alot of great ideas (not only their own) and combined them in a fun accessable package. It seems that rather then simply innovating, Blizzard also was able to look outside their company for inspiration.
I feel that there is another inspiration that was left untouched in the article that has to be addressed. Blizzard didn't invent alot of the content that they ended up making their millions. Sure, its easy to say their games were inspired by JRR but a clearer connection can be made to other intellectual property that has sparked a debate to this day...Games Workshop. Many would say that each company stole from the other, but the fact remains Games Workshop was the ones who created the Zerg, and the orcs (or orks) in their goofy simpleton form. Its clear to me as a gamer, that Blizzard simply took alot of great ideas (not only their own) and combined them in a fun accessable package. It seems that rather then simply innovating, Blizzard also was able to look outside their company for inspiration.
Original Comment by: Anthony Gurr
There's a slight historical innaccuracy in this article about Westwood Studios license for the RTS Dune II.
The 1992 game is based on the David Lynch movie license DUNE, not the Frank Herbert book series.
DUNE 2000, released quite a few years later, was also based on the movie license.
II worked at Westwood Studios from 1997 to 2001; I wanted to set the record straight on this fact.
ILong Live the Fighters!
There's a slight historical innaccuracy in this article about Westwood Studios license for the RTS Dune II.
The 1992 game is based on the David Lynch movie license DUNE, not the Frank Herbert book series.
DUNE 2000, released quite a few years later, was also based on the movie license.
II worked at Westwood Studios from 1997 to 2001; I wanted to set the record straight on this fact.
ILong Live the Fighters!
Original Comment by: Jon Clemens
How could the article possibly miss even mentioning Starcraft? Wth? How about some comment on why there's been no PC sequel in the US or the move to take that franchise over to console?
Also it failed to mention that Blizzard is well-known for creating some of the very, very best cinematic scenes in the industry. For example, the latest Burning Crusade trailer for WoW contains much from the old trailer with updated graphics and it is JAW DROPPINGLY gorgeous. Older cinematics from games like Diablo 2 or Starcraft still look great, even compared to what is found on many other leading games today.
How could the article possibly miss even mentioning Starcraft? Wth? How about some comment on why there's been no PC sequel in the US or the move to take that franchise over to console?
Also it failed to mention that Blizzard is well-known for creating some of the very, very best cinematic scenes in the industry. For example, the latest Burning Crusade trailer for WoW contains much from the old trailer with updated graphics and it is JAW DROPPINGLY gorgeous. Older cinematics from games like Diablo 2 or Starcraft still look great, even compared to what is found on many other leading games today.
Original Comment by: Christian
StarCraft is a unique game and, if nothing else, should have had a small mention. It is the number 1 competitive game, literally creating gaming superstars in Korea and similar countries. That is millions and millions of free advertising and guaranteed buyers for sequels (still hoping, please dear god!).
I would have liked the articale to have been a bit more in-depth at some points and could've included interviews with some of the people currently working at Blizzard (if possible), both in past and future games.
All in all, a very nice article still.
StarCraft is a unique game and, if nothing else, should have had a small mention. It is the number 1 competitive game, literally creating gaming superstars in Korea and similar countries. That is millions and millions of free advertising and guaranteed buyers for sequels (still hoping, please dear god!).
I would have liked the articale to have been a bit more in-depth at some points and could've included interviews with some of the people currently working at Blizzard (if possible), both in past and future games.
All in all, a very nice article still.